Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42145669›Full record

ArticleEvolutionary applications2026

Locus-Specific Convergent Evolution and Interchromosomal Rearrangements Contribute to the Diversification of Amniote Type I Interferons.

Le Zhang, Fubo Ma, Jinpeng Liu, Yangchao Yu, Junxiao Ma, Lei Zhang, Bing Li, Chaofan Li, Kang Li, Peng Liu and 1 more

Abstract read
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Article in Evolutionary applications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Le ZhangCollege of Computer Science Sichuan University Chengdu China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3708-1727
Fubo MaWest China Biomedical Big Data Center West China Hospital, Sichuan University Chengdu China.
Jinpeng LiuBeijing Zoo Beijing China.
Yangchao YuCollege of Computer Science Sichuan University Chengdu China.
Junxiao MaUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.
Lei ZhangCollege of Computer Science Sichuan University Chengdu China.
Bing LiCollege of Computer Science Sichuan University Chengdu China.
Chaofan LiHebei Key Laboratory of Analysis and Control of Zoonotic Pathogenic Microorganism, Hebei Wild Animal Health Center Hebei Agricultural University Baoding China.
Kang LiWest China Biomedical Big Data Center West China Hospital, Sichuan University Chengdu China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8136-9816
Peng LiuHebei Key Laboratory of Analysis and Control of Zoonotic Pathogenic Microorganism, Hebei Wild Animal Health Center Hebei Agricultural University Baoding China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6515-4682
Liguo ZhangKey Laboratory of Biomacromolecules (CAS), National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9795-0314

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Type I interferons (IFNs) play essential roles in antiviral immune responses. The extensive diversification of type I IFNs into various subtypes and duplicated gene copies has posed significant challenges for evolutionary reconstruction. To address this, we developed the type I IFN sequence composition and structure (IFN-SCOPE) model and gene-network graph degree centrality (GENE-GRADE) algorithm, which transform the discovery of type I IFN evolutionary trajectories into computing the node centrality in its gene networks. Through synteny-guided analysis, we verified that three previously reported evolutionarily conserved type I IFN loci (HACD4, MOB3B, and UBAP2) have maintained chromosomal colocalization across all major amniote lineages. While the MOB3B locus maintained a single IFN-κ ortholog, the HACD4 (IFN-HA) and UBAP2 (IFN-UB) loci showed lineage-specific expansion patterns: IFN-HA proliferated in mammals/reptiles but remained single-copy in birds, whereas IFN-UB expanded in birds but not in other lineages. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that these independently evolved multicopy genes nevertheless clustered into two conserved subgroups (IFN-HA2/HA1 and IFN-UB2/UB1), suggesting convergent functional specialization. Within the IFN-HA and IFN-UB clusters, the single-copy IFN-HA2 and IFN-UB2 genes, positioned at the ancestral ends of their respective genomic arrays, likely represent the progenitor sequences of each locus, where the poorly characterized IFN-ν (rather than IFN-β) is the ancestral form of mammalian IFN-HA subtypes. Furthermore, wet lab evidence revealed type I IFN genes at noncanonical loci resulting from interchromosomal duplication events in tortoises and diving ducks and provided clear evidence that interchromosomal duplications contributed to type I IFN gene diversity. These discoveries advance our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms that shape type I IFN genes in amniotes and are potentially beneficial for the development of novel type I IFN-based antiviral treatments through comparative immunological approaches.

Indexed as

common ancestorevolutiongene diversificationtype I interferons

Identifiers

PMID42145669
PMCPMC13176653

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